The Cold and the Brave
by Time Magic
Summary: And so the journey begins!
1. East Blue: Appeasement

A/N: OC main character. The interactions with canon characters will not suffer from this, however I am creating non-canon characters that involve my personal plot points.

\- At the end of each arc, I will assess each chapter and update them and try to correct them accordingly.

This story at the moment has no planned ending, until further notice.

\- Chapters 1 & 2 are going to be getting touch-ups, possibly.

* * *

Today is the day that I will finally go the seas. I am practically beaming at the thought of stowing away on a Marine ship in order to see the sea for myself. The Marines came by in search of a member of the revolutionary army. Well, that's what my uncle said anyways. When I went to the port, it seemed as if they were trying to operate discreetly, but since no one comes by our humble abode, the news traveled fast. Either way, this presented me with the opportunity I had been waiting for. To leave this island for good, and never look back. I love my folks, but the life of a fisher just isn't for me. In fact, the only good it did was make me long to be on the seas even more.

I pack a small number of things with me; change of clothing, my toys, and basic utilities. I fly down the stairs and race to the door. To my surprise, it flung open. A group of Marines marched in, but one of them, in particular, stands out among the rest. He walks in front of them and looks distinctive and important. The Marine glances at me, and sneers.

"Can I help you find what you're looking for?" My uncle asks from the counter. My uncle runs the fishery, while my mother does the fishing, but they switch places each month.

"Yes, actually. I was looking for an average-sized man, who was dressed in tattered clothing… no doubt as a disguise of some sort," the Marine speaks, while shifting glances between my uncle and I. "This man is very dangerous, and I'm afraid he holds a great deal of intel about the workings of our headquarters," finally, the Marine stops shifting glances and gives me an ice-cold glare. "Also, could you tell this bumbling child to stop staring at me, it's quite rude," he snaps.

I didn't notice I was staring at him, and quickly shifted my gaze to the floor, embarrassed.

"I share your concerns sir, but could I ask you to refrain from addressing my nephew that way? He is just a boy, and is very sensitive to harsh words," my uncle tried to sound polite as possible, probably sensing that the Marine is quick-tempered.

My uncle is a very caring person, who always sought the well-being of others, over ourselves. We had enough wealth for my mother and uncle to retire early, but my uncle disagreed with that, usually donating large portions of money to those who needed it. I didn't understand why he did the things he did, but he made sure to teach me the values of giving things to others in need. I tried my best to impose this on myself, but I don't think I can be as kind as he is, although he doesn't consider himself a very warm person.

Just like we thought, the Marine blew a fuse. He rummages through his pocket and pulls out a flintlock pistol. My heart skips a beat. I could already feel my throat parching, as he points the gun at my uncle. All I could do is watch. Is this how Marines act? I couldn't speak or move. I completely froze in place, as my eyes lock onto his weapon. I couldn't avert my eyes. My mind quickly became clouded with negative thoughts and outcomes. Knowing this, I try to move. I still couldn't move, my body feels incapacitated. My heart begins to beat faster, as he advances toward my uncle.

"Did you just tell me what to do?" The Marine speaks, after what seems like an eternity.

My uncle seems less worried than I am. Actually, he almost looks unfazed. "Please put the weapon down, and then we can talk about this man you are looking for. My nephew is still-" My uncle's words are cut short as he is interrupted.

"I don't give a damn about your nephew. I hate children," he spits with venom.

My uncle's expression suggests that he wants to hit the Marine, square in the face. "A man of your stature should be more considerate of other people's feelings."

"To hell with that."

"Then I'm afraid we cannot help you."

"Fine, then. I see that you are unwilling to cooperate, so that suggests that you are in cahoots with this criminal."

"I beg your pardon?" My uncle looks baffled.

The Marine stiffens his posture and looks at the other Marines he came in with. "Alright you morons, give me that transponder snail," the Marine mumbled.

I didn't really give the other Marines any mind when they came in, and I began to wonder if they really agreed with their leader.

I watched as one of the Marines handed him the transponder snail, but it didn't look like a regular one. Although most transponder snails do vary in appearance, this one stood out. It was completely golden.

"Captain Hark here," Hark spoke with formality now.

"Ah, good to hear from you, Hark," came the voice from the golden transponder snail.

"We traced the man to this island, but it seems that the entire island would prefer to keep his whereabouts secret," Hark lied.

"Excuse for just a moment! What are you-" My uncle stops at the irritated sound of Hark's voice.

Captain Hark pointed his pistol at my uncle again, implying that he should remain silent. "Also, with this new information, I feel it is necessary to initiate a buster call, considering the great threat this imposes on us," Hark continued.

A buster call? I've never heard the term. I begin to form the words to ask what it meant, but I knew that would only aggravate him further, so I continue to stand in the middle of the room awkwardly, as he resumes his conversation with his superior.

"And you're certain these measures must be upheld with a buster call? You know what it does, right?" His superior asks, sternly.

Hark just laughs. "Of course. Now, I must be going," with a click, the transponder snail turns off, and he begins to make his exit.

I suddenly begin to relax as he leaves. My adrenaline starts to fade, and I collapse to my knees. "T-That was scary.."

My uncle says nothing in response and walks to the door as well. "Listen, kiddo, I don't know what a buster call is, but it sounds dangerous," he stops walking. "I think it would be a good idea to evacuate the town, out of caution," he finished.

"Do you think it's that bad?" I ask.

My uncle nods. "It sounds like some military code word to me, but I could be jumping to conclusions…"

I agree with my uncle. It does sound awfully strange that he would label us criminals and just leave us here. Maybe it requires regrouping, so they can move in and execute their attack more proficiently. I made up my mind. "I'm with you uncle!" I start to run up to him, but he motions for me to stop.

"No, the Marines are still outside," he says, whilst exhaling.

"Okay, so how do we get out?" I ask, confused.

"Only one way to find out," he replies as he pushes the door open.

Although my uncle's figure is blocking most of the view, I made out a rifle, which was being operated by a Marine. If I had to guess, there were probably more out there as well. The dread quickly overwhelmed me again, making me feel powerless and weak.

"Don't move, we are under orders to open fire if you do!" One of the Marines shouted.

I think it was instincts, but my uncle raised his hands above his head to show that he had no intention of doing so. I could also see tears in his eyes.

"Tell me! Tell me what this buster call enforces!" To his dismay, none of them respond. "You… don't tell me you really plan on destroying an innocent town?" Again, they don't respond.

"I have no choice," he says, lowering his voice. He motions for me to follow, which forces me out of my trance. He kneels down, making us the same level of height. "Alright Jebari, when I say run, you will head east into those woods, understand?" My uncle makes direct eye contact with me, tears still staining his eyes.

No, I don't understand. It seems like flawed logic to me. We will definitely be shot at. "If I do that, then-" my uncle interrupts my response.

"Don't test my patience, boy!" My uncle barks.

He has never spoken to me like that. With the sudden change in tone, I nod slowly, not questioning him this time.

"Good," he smiles and pats my head. "I'll miss you," he murmurs softly.

"Wait but-" he interrupts me again.

"Run!" My uncle yells.

I start running on cue, towards the forest. I don't look back.

* * *

A/N:

I'm debating whether or not to go by the anime or the manga. Honestly, I love both. That said, for familiarity purposes, I think most of it will be based of off the anime.


	2. East Blue: Repercussion

_Bang! Bang!_

I hear shots fire as I continue to run towards the forest. Surprisingly, none of the bullets whizzing by have hit me, so at least I have that going for me. However, that doesn't ease my guilt that I am feeling, twisting in my stomach. I can't think of anything else but running, struggling to reach the forest. My adrenaline is making my legs move before I can rationally think things over.

 _Thwack!_ Something hits my leg and I go tumbling to the ground. Immediately, I assume my flesh has been pierced by a bullet, but it's not. To my surprise, I see a net coiled around my legs, restraining me. I quickly snap my head to the forest. It's only a few feet away, I'm nearly there. The net's restraints only tighten, as I start squirming to get free.

"Let me go!" I start to scream at the net, as I pathetically attempt to remove it, but my violent thrashing just makes things worse.

"I'm afraid that's as far as you will be going young boy," a voice calls out from the forest. Another Marine emerged from the woods, who also had a distinctive figure. He looked like he was in rough shape, and less groomed than the other Marine I had seen at our fishery.

I guess I should have known better than to run aimlessly into the forest, but I had little to no other choice. It was either that or get shot. Well, I guess I technically did get shot. "Just let me go, please!" I pleaded the Marine.

"A buster call is no small joking matter boy, the whole island is going to-"

 _BOOM!_

His words are cut short when a cannonball suddenly strikes the island, hitting him directly.

It doesn't stop there either. Cannonballs were now being fired in succession, almost every other second. Luckily, I wasn't caught in the blast from the first one, but that doesn't exactly console me, considering the to-be hundreds of canons raining down on our island. Then I see it; one of the canons hurls towards the fishery, destroying it. I start bawling as the canons lay waste to the fishery, as I lay entangled in the net, helplessly. All I can do is watch.

"Jebari!" A woman's voice calls out. No, not just a woman's voice, but my mother's voice. "Come on, we have to go. _Now_." My mother runs towards me and begins to untangle the net from my legs.

"Mom, the cannons blew up our fishery," I wail. My thoughts delve into more despair when I began to think about how poorly my uncle must have fared since he was right next to the explosion.

"Yes, I am aware. That's not important right now, honey," she says as she is finally able to remove the net. "Now we are going to go to the docks, so we can escape this island," my mother concludes.

"But the Marines are docked at the port, so there's no way we can go that way," I reply. It's true, there were four marine ships that were guarding the docks. At least that's how many were there when I was there last time. Who knows how many are there now.

"No, not the port, we are going to the _docks_ ", my mother states. She grabs my hand, helping me to my feet and forcing me to run with her. "Come on, the docks are just through the clearing of this forest," my mother says, still holding my hand as we run.

I understand the reason my uncle sent me this way. I could have just as easily gone west, but he insisted that I go east, to the forest. With no time to explain, my uncle wanted me to go right to the docks.

 _BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

Canons continued to land all around us. To the best of my ability, I try to ignore them and fail. There are far too many to ignore, and trying to tune it out just makes it resurface in my head after another one lands. I close my eyes and continue to whimper as my mother guides me, continuing to run to the clearing. All it takes is for one canon to land in our vicinity, and we are through.

Finally, we stop. I open my eyes, to see that we are near the clearing, but not through it. I see why my mother had stopped. A lone marine is guarding the docks, and he is holding a transponder snail.

"I found another exit southbound from the port. There are fishing boats here and they are still intact," the Marine informed whoever was on the other line.

I faintly hear my mother curse under her breath. "Alright Jebari, I'm going to distract him, and you are going to high-tail out of here on that boat," she says.

"No mom, you are coming with me," I demanded.

"We don't have the time of day to quarrel, so do as your mother asks," she responds, wiping the tears from my eyes. "Please, don't make this any harder for me than it has to be," her tone softens.

Before I could argue further, she springs out into the clearing, running at the Marine. Not wanting to squander the chance she provided, I run to the right, trying to stay clear from the Marine's vision, as I emerge into the clearing as well. It doesn't work. He sees me, drops his transponder snail and takes aim. That was his mistake. I am faster than my mother, so I somehow managed to be seen before my mother was, although she ran out first.

In my peripheral vision, I see her tackle the Marine and a shot goes off into the sky. My heart nearly escapes my chest as I jump into the water, without looking beforehand. There are three rowboats, each slightly different in design, but I wasn't about to stop and assess my choices. I quickly climb into one of the nearest ones and settle myself into the boat.

Now I had to make a heartbreaking decision. My mother is obviously fighting this Marine, which provides me with two options. I could either get shot by a Marine, or if I am lucky, wait for my mother to win the fight, and jump on-board with me.

 _BOOM!_

My heart sinks. I didn't have to make the decision since it already had been preemptively decided. I begin bawling my eyes out, my tears make a steady stream as I cry. Filed with sorrow and misery, I take the oars and I begin to row the boat, to the vast ocean. In my heart, I want to believe that my mother and my uncle are fine and they are making their way off the island. I wail seemingly evermore. I sailed further and further away, until the cannons were barely audible.

Night had fallen and the island looked nothing like it used to. It was completely obliterated.

* * *

A/N: For whatever reason, no one in the One Piece universe is allowed to have a normal back-story. This is completely normal (totally not life-threatening and traumatizing at all).


	3. East Blue: Assignment

A/N: I don't think I need to mention this, but obviously the dialogue exchanges between actual events in the show will not be of that length. It will be more condensed. Additionally, the fight scenes between all characters will be condensed as well.

Since the fight is more impactful when it's quick and meaningful.

* * *

 **Approximately eight years later…**

 _I awoke to the feeling of a freezing sensation on my arm, stirring me from my sleep. Two lines of ice stretched out onto the vast ocean, spanning from the island, running on either side, as far as the eye could see. My boat got stuck in between the two separate lines of ice. I didn't even notice that I had dozed off with one of my arms outside of the rowboat. The cold feeling of the ice had woken me up. It was the crack of dawn, but I could barely see the sun rising from the east. I also noticed that the ice had punctured a hole in the side of my rowboat. Slowly, water began filling the boat.. It wasn't up to my feet yet, but my rowboat was definitely damaged. I was stranded at sea, clueless as to how the ice had appeared. I figured this was where I would die. There would be no possible way to swim over to the next island. It was impossible. I started to pity myself and began to blame the island's destruction on myself._

 _That's when I noticed another rowboat was heading towards me. I didn't have the energy to generate any kind of reaction, so instead, I sat there, as my boat continued filling up with water. The boat got closer and closer… until finally, I could make out the person on it. It was a young girl, who looked about my age. She wasn't facing towards me, so she couldn't see me. But I could hear it; crying. I heard her weeping as she paddled sluggishly through the icy trail._

 _The water was up to my legs now, the water colder from the ice. I continued to observe. I didn't have the energy to move, but I felt relieved to know there was another survivor. It put me at ease, even if it was just a little. Eventually, her boat hit mine, and she frantically jumped from where she was sitting. She whirled around to face me._

I awoke with a start. It was that dream again. Way back when the buster call was initiated. The one that would seal the fate of all the inhabitants, except for that girl and I.

I made my way to my Commodore's private chambers, pushing the door open as I strolled in. "Here you go sir," I said as I lowered a small stack of paper onto his desk. "The reports that were gathered from Shells town last week," I stated, as I watched him pick it up and scour through it, to find the important details.

"Thank you Jebari, fine work as always," my Commodore said while he observed the detailed reports. "Captain Axe-Hand Morgan, eh?" he muttered to himself while he continued scanning the reports. "I see, so the rumors are true after all," he exhaled a deep sigh.

"What do you make of it, sir?" I asked for his opinion.

"If the information presented is true, then we cannot tolerate this kind of insolence. It sullies the righteousness and justice of the other hard-working Marines and that is not what we promote," he shook his head. "The self-importance of this 'Marine' should be condoned." he seethed.

I wasn't sure which part he had read that allowed him to come to that conclusion, but most of it was centric to Captain Axe-Hand Morgan and his wrongdoings. "Should we take immediate action, sir?"

"Yes, we should. Morgan's indiscipline will not be tolerated any further," he instructed. "You will be temporarily transferred to his branch, and apprehend him," he stated, nodding his head as if he had convinced himself by his own statement.

As a lower-ranking Marine officer, I wasn't exactly contempt with the idea of carrying out a tall-order like that. I felt conflicted about being given an assignment of that magnitude. "Sir, wouldn't it be better to send a higher ranking officer to fulfill that task?" I questioned. "Axe-hand Morgan is the captain of that branch after all and…" My words trailed off as I noticed the look in his eyes. Whenever he had that look, he wouldn't change his mind. You had a better chance convincing a wall to move.

"Jebari, these are _your reports_ ," he insisted. "You have the most knowledge about this dilemma." The Commodore took notice of my expression; uncertainty was written all over my face. "Look, I can't send people of high rank anyways, otherwise he would get suspicious." he said, trying to reason with me. "I also can't send a group, as that would attract attention from him as well," he concluded, setting my report on his desk.

"Sir." I saluted to him and went to excuse myself.

"Oh, one more thing Jebari," he called as I was about to leave.

"Yes?" I stopped midway to the door.

"We are about to bust a major crime ring, so our branch most likely won't be here if you return three days from now. Resume your regular duties until we return, unless you somehow manage to make it back before we depart… which is unlikely," he mumbled.

With everything taken care of, I left and prepared my departure. I could had saved myself the trip if I had taken a transponder snail with me. I made sure not to follow the same mistake. I grab the one closest to the entrance. Besides that, I had everything I needed, since I already made the journey once before to obtain the information on Axe-hand Morgan. As I stepped outside of our base, I realized I forgot something important. Well, not something, but _someone_. An annoying individual, who I didn't like to be around, but it was necessary. He is a navigator after all.

I made my way back inside and immediately headed to the cafeteria. If I knew a slacker like I did, he would definitely be here. My eyes wandered through the room until I saw him. He was sitting next to a group of other Marines, talking, while they listened. I decided to get it over with and walked over to him in a huff.

The navigator noticed me and grinned. "Ah, hey there Mr. Studious," he called out to me. The name 'Mr. Studious' was a nickname he had given to me because of my seriousness when on missions. When we traveled to Shell town together, he often complained about how boring I was.

"Do you… need anything?" he asked, although he probably already knew the answer. I couldn't blame him, since that's the only reason I would ever consider talking to him.

"Yes, actually. I need you to navigate me back to Shells town," I declared.

The navigator looked displeased and leaned back in his chair. "Alright friends, story-time is over. I have to arrange an agreement with Mr. Studious here…" he said, reluctantly. His friends muttered rude remarks about me under their breath and left the cafeteria. "Alright, so why should I help you?"

"I'm not asking."

"You just did."

"No, I told you that you were coming. I didn't ask."

"And what makes you think I will slave myself for you and sail you wherever you want?" he placed a hand on his chin and rested his arm on the table. "I'll do it for $5,000 beli," he said firmly.

I gave him a quick whack on the top of his head with my fist and grabbed him by his sleeve, hauling him out of the Marine base and towards one of our Marine ships docked outside, which was smaller than a regular navy vessel. The navigator was yelling and trying to remove my grip from his sleeve the entire time, but I eventually managed to get him on-board, completely against his will.


	4. East Blue: Origin

"Okay _master_ , what can I do for you now?" the navigator said sarcastically. He clearly didn't have any intention of navigating the vessel for me, but that was subjected to change.

"Alright, let's work out a deal– you are going to sail me whenever and wherever I want, and in exchange…" I paused. I knew he was going to question the details, so I decided to let him speak before he could interrupt me later.

"Whenever and wherever?" he looked at me as if I had a screw loose. Just as I thought, the navigator decided to dwell on the insignificant parts of the deal. That wasn't even the important part.

"Yes. In exchange for your services, I will allow you to give me your name," I state.

There was a long exchange of silence between the two of us until his jaw dropped. "WHAT?!" he screamed, bewildered. "That's ridiculous! Unfair!" He shrieked.

I knew that he wasn't getting anything in return for the deal, but I didn't expect him to react like that. I thought that it was a fair deal. After all, I barely remember anyone's name I didn't respect enough.

"Is that a problem?" I asked.

"Yes, it is a problem."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm clearly being mocked..."

That plan didn't work out. I had to fallback to my back-up plan; I reached into my pocket and pulled out my flintlock pistol. I inspected it for a moment, before pointing at him.

"WHAT?!" he shrieked.

"So, are you going to help me or not?"

"Help you? Yes, I think you need help. _Mental help_."

"Yeah, you're probably right. That's why I am holding you at gunpoint," I remarked. "Now hurry up and navigate, before I shoot you in the foot," I demanded.

Seeing as he had no other option, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and made his way to the helm, quietly. I unfurled the sails and we began our voyage to Shells town. Again.

I woke up on the deck. At some point on our journey, I had fallen asleep. It also occurred to me that I forgot to ask for the navigator's name since it was agreed upon in our fair exchange. I stretched my body out on the deck, rise to my feet, and walk to the upper-deck.

Before I could finish climbing the stairs, I hear a faint whizzing sound, to my left. Instinctively, I snap my head in that direction and see a cannonball hurling towards the ship. My initial reaction was to stop it, but it was already too close to take counter-measures. I didn't have the ability to do so anyway.

 _BOOM!_

The cannonball connected with our vessel, causing me to stagger and lose my balance. When I recovered I saw the navigator sliding on the ground, shaken up by the explosion. I guess he didn't hear it coming. Come to think of it, he should have been able to see the cannonball being fired from where he was standing. I decided not to question it, and put it at the back of my mind, for later.

"We're under attack!" the navigator yelled. The navigator rose to his feet and tried to catch a glimpse of who just attacked us. I decided to do so as well.

To no one's immediate surprise, we were attacked by a pirate ship. The real surprise was that the entire pirate ship was _pink_. I mean, if you wanted to attract attention from just about everyone, that was one way to do so. "Navigator," I called to him. "Check the ship for any damages," I pointed to where the vessel was shot.

"And risk getting blown up?" he said, dumbstruck.

"Where did I put my pistol…" I said, just loud enough for him to hear me, as I patted my pockets.

"Fine, I'll do it," he sighed, exasperated. "My name is Michael Lawrence by the way, don't make me tell you again," he said as he jogged to the other side of the ship, checking for damages as I had asked.

I used my binoculars to see how many pirates were manning the cannons. I counted about ten that were above deck. There were probably more down below as well. Continuing my observations, I noticed why we were attacked. Behind the pirate ship, I saw another ship. It looked like a cruise ship. We must have been attacked because it looked like we were coming to the aid of the cruise ship when in reality, we were just passing by.

"Damage was minimal, but the pirates aren't firing anymore for some reason," Lawrence reported. He was right. None of the pirates were firing consecutive shots, subsequent to the first one. We didn't have the manpower to fight back at the full capacity in which the vessel is capable of, so I decided to take another look with my binoculars to find out why they didn't just keep on firing at us.

I completely regretted looking. What I saw was the most horrific _thing_ I had ever seen. The ugliest woman that sailed the seas. She looked repulsive in almost every way you could think of. I nearly threw up in my mouth, but I had to keep watching. The repugnant pirate seemed to be fighting someone, but I couldn't see whoever it was because the other pirates were circling the person in question, completely blocking my view.

At that instant something hit her. Something destructive enough that it literally sent her flying into the air. I took a step back, shocked, as she fell into the water.

 _What kind of weapon did you need to have to knock someone into the air and send them into them flying into the ocean? And did I forget to mention how much she appeared to have weighed? She looked about 300 pounds of walking revulsion._

I wonder if that defenseless ship had hired a mercenary in order to protect them for the duration of the cruise. Either way, whatever that was, I didn't want to stick around to find out.

I let my binoculars rest on my neck, as it was kept in place thanks to the strap fastened around it. I figured now was a good of a time as any to ask Lawrence why he wasn't paying closer attention to the cannon fire. "Lawrence," I call out to him as he began to walk back to the helm.

"What is it now, master?" he says sarcastically. "Do your boots require polishing?" he sassed.

"No, I just wanted to know how you didn't see the cannon coming," I asked.

"I was looking at maps," he paused. "The _real_ question is; what were _you_ doing?" he snapped back.

Uh-oh. I guess I didn't think too hard about it and just placed the blame on Lawrence. I guess when you analyze the situation, it certainly appeared to be my fault for not paying attention and dozing off. "I-I wasn't sleeping if that's what you were about to ask," I said quickly.

"Huh, you were sleeping?!" he says, seeing through my elaborate lie.

"No, I said I 'wasn't sleeping'."

"Okay, then what were you doing, exactly?"

"I-I um. Well, you see I was… I was in the middle of–"

"Alright, cut the crap. You fell asleep, so you figured it was somehow _my fault_?" he said, bewildered, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Well that is a possibility, but an unlikely one," I said, trying to appear confident with my choice of words as I spoke. "Now if you'll excuse me," I ducked my head and calmly walked to the quarterdeck before he could argue any further. I hated uncomfortable conversations.


	5. East Blue: Flaw

"Wake up," a voice came from my door, stirring me from my slumber. "Hurry up, we've docked." Lawrence's voice echoed past the interior of my door.

I heard his footsteps trailing away as he walked off. I guessed I really rubbed him the wrong way, seeing that he didn't want to have any kind of relationship with me. Personally, I disagree with his feelings towards me. I was more reasonable than most of the Navy these days. After all, the standards of what makes a good Marine is diminishing. Honestly, I'm doubting that my efforts to repeal the buster call will be in vain.

Not only that, but it seems as more pirates begin to sail the seas, the more the Navy began to sweep crimes under the rug. Crimes on the World Government or the Celestial Dragons were not tolerable, but if you were to extort an entire island for money, the response time after getting ahold of that kind of information wouldn't be a huge concern on their agenda.

With all of the problems in the Navy, a sneaking suspicion continued to lurch in my stomach. At this rate, the usage of the buster call and when it can be used didn't seem like much a priority to them.

With mixed emotions, I remove my binoculars and head out. As I stepped off of the vessel, I noticed that Lawrence was nowhere to be found. Perhaps I was dwelling in my thoughts for too long and he went on without me. I wondered where he had wandered off too though because he left without saying a word of what he planned on doing here.

Then it hit me. I forgot to mention my reasoning behind coming to Shells town. Lawrence had no idea why he was here to begin with. I had abruptly asked him to take me to Shells town and now that we had arrived, he probably dicked off somewhere, confused.

Well, it didn't matter anyway. Those reports I had written were truly discourteous, in regards to that Captain. For nothing else than to inflate his own ego, he decided to build a statue one day. If you so much as ask about him when talking to the townsfolk, it made them flinch. I could have ended my report there and drew together some conclusive evidence, but I had to be thorough. Every townsfolk I had talked to didn't want to talk about Morgan. They were downright afraid of him. Naturally, I had wanted to investigate their actual base of operations, but walking around with a notepad in my hand didn't exactly help me blend in too much.

Although most of the townsfolk didn't want to discuss Morgan, some braver ones were hesitant, but still willing. I had found out that Morgan was collecting money 'so that they could show their respect'. Stupidest thing I've ever heard. And now, he's building a statue of himself in order to inflate his ego even more. People like Morgan are why the buster call even exists. To _demonstrate their power,_ or out of fear.

Either way, an arrest had to be made… with or without Lawrence. I got back on task and began making my way through Shells town. I got a lot of looks from the townsfolk who had recognized me from my last visit. I could only wonder about what they might be thinking about. The one thing I could see etched in all of their faces was fear. Fear of Captain Axe-Hand Morgan.

"So let me get this straight, in case I misheard you," I heard Lawrence's voice distantly, on the right side of me. "You want to become… _King of the Pirates?_ " Lawrence questioned.

Naturally, I was distracted by accidentally overhearing his conversation. I began to walk over to Lawrence to see what fool would openly admit to being a pirate in front of a Marine. As I closed the distance, I saw two people talking to Lawrence. " _King of the Pirates?"_ I repeated, as I was definitely intrigued by his claim. A fool's claim, but a claim no less.

"Yep, I'm going to be _King of the Pirates."_ the one who wore a straw hat said, smiling at me. I guess it was obvious as to who made that claim.

"Please, my friend here is just messing around," the smaller one spoke out for his friend, defensively. "He's not a real pirate and he doesn't even have a bounty, he just pretends that he is, so please don't mind him." he pleaded.

The one with the straw hat began to laugh at his friend. I couldn't fathom why, but if I had to guess it could possibly be related to some sort of disagreement. It didn't go without saying, that I was confused, and what they were discussing seemed to just puzzle me. It seemed like the small one was covering for his _pirate_ friend. I understood that much. That was at least until he started laughing at him for it.

Before I overloaded my brain, trying to decipher what I just heard, I made eye contact with Lawrence, in order to get his attention. "Listen, I'm actually here to make an arrest on a–"

The pair that Lawrence was interrogating were staring at me as I talked. "Actually, let's discuss this in a more… isolated location."

We relocated just a house over and I started to explain the situation. "So as I was saying, I am here to make an arrest."

"An arrest on who?" Lawrence blurted out, before I could finish. This is why I always waited before I finished talking, otherwise he would continue to keep interrupting me.

"I am getting to that," I hissed. "Anyways, the arrest is going to be made on the Captain stationed here; Captain Axe-hand Morgan." I concluded.

"A captain?"

"Yes, a captain."

"The Commodore decided to let you make this arrest without any support?"

"Yes, that's the gist of it.

"Okay, so can I ask _why_ exactly?" he asked.

"Well, the Commodore's reasoning was that he didn't want me to stand out too much," I explained. "Well, that and the fact that he wanted to focus on a major incident that they are trying to resolve, currently."

"What incident?" he asked, confused. Since he had bothered asking, I knew that he was not informed on the situation back at our base. It was quite possible to also assume that he usually wasn't kept up to speed on most things as well. Serves the slacker right.

"He just said it was some major crime ring," I said honestly, as vague as it sounded. "Other than that, he was pretty vague, but–"

"But, what?" Lawrence interjects, which felt like it was intentional. The more he did this, the more I just wanted to storm off in frustration. That's probably why he did it to begin with though.

" _But_... you have three days to return, otherwise you will are not going to be able to assist them in their efforts." I finally finished, without interruptions. I left out the bit of them not being there upon return, because I didn't want Lawrence to take the vessel back to our base while I would be making the arrest, because that would be awkward.

I could see hurt in his eyes. It was either that, or jealousy because I was informed and he wasn't. In fact, that seemed more befitting to his character, so that was more likely to be circling in his head. "Well, I'm off to seal the deal then." I said promptly.

"Alright, see you later." he said plainly, before walking off in the opposite direction. Yeah, it was definitely jealously. 

* * *

A/N: I noticed a lot of Marines go by their first names as well, such as Coby, Helmeppo, or Garp. I could only assume that's because the people referring to them are more familiar in calling them by first name.

For instance, Garp's subordinates referred to him as "Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp", but Sengoku just calls him Garp.

Coby and Helmeppo call each other by first name as well.

The same can now also be said about Jebari, when his Commodore called him by first name.


End file.
